Ava had just turned 2. She was a darling blue-eyed toddler with a full head of blonde curls. She adorned her head with various hats ranging from a floral bonnet to a fireman’s hat!
Ava wasn’t talking
Ava came to our attention because she was not speaking. Her parents had wisely consulted their pediatrician, Dr. Chrystal De Freitas, who suggested they watch Ava‘s communication development closely until she turned 2. Ava turned 2 in November, and her initial speech and language evaluation took place later that month. That was one of their best decisions as Ava’s parents yet!
When her therapist greeted Ava in the waiting room, Ava ignored her. When her therapist brought out an array of stimulating toys, otherwise known as the tricks of our trade, Ava jumped from between activities so rapidly that they had tried, tested and discarded each of the therapist’s 20 toys with limited interest by the end of the 1st session.
Since Ava wasn’t talking, we had to collect information and form our impressions based on Ava’s behaviors and her parent’s reports. They counted about 50 words in Ava’s vocabulary. Most children have at least 200 words, and they are combining words by the time they turn 2.
Ava Wasn’t Playing with Peers
Most two-year olds are making eye contact, producing greetings, asking for comfort and engaging in social routines. Most two-year olds are socializing with their peers as they play with similar toys side by side. Ava preferred to play alone and got physically when she became upset. Ava did not have any same-aged friends
To Start Therapy or Wait’n-See?
Ava’s parents weighed their options. They could wait to see if Ava would outgrow her communication challenges and hope for the best. They could wait until she turned three and have her assessed by the local school district. Or they could be aggressive about Ava’s challenges and pursue early, intensive intervention.
There are many downsides to the wait-and-see model. Many late talkers are late readers. Some struggle with learning the sound-letter relationships that entail the first year of reading instruction. Others struggle later in school with reading comprehension. Another group of late talkers/late readers develop problems with written expression….whether it be with spelling, writing correct sentence structures or producing book summaries and essays.
There is still another group of late talkers/late readers whose challenges emerge in the social arena. They don’t know how to think about other people to maintain friendships or to solve life’s many problems.
One way or another, late talkers/late readers who don’t have the benefit of early intervention usually have challenges down the road. This was not going to be the case for Ava!
Ava’s Transformation
After 4 months of therapy, Ava learned to play alongside her clinician; she began requesting more “bubbles” or “more cars”, because she couldn’t get enough. Thankfully, Ava’s parents also saw improvement in her peer interaction; she now plays dolls, builds with block and races bumper cars alongside her friends at preschool.
Prevention is Better than Remediation
Her parents will never regret their decision to get aggressive about Ava’s intervention. Ava’s rapid progress has given us all reason to believe that she will catch up and be ready for reading, writing and social interaction by the time she begins school. Prevention is less expensive and more effective than remediation.
Stories like this are the reason that Tessa and Jodie chose to become speech-language pathologists. By providing appropriate, early intervention, we can change lives!
Wow! What a feeling!
If you would like more information about our services, please contact us at 858.509.1131.
It is never too early or too late to seek help.